enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

on film.

0022_22A 0020_20A 0019_19A 0015_15A 0013_13A 0004_4A 0001_1A

The other day I read this blog post (and then the comments section) about a new digital camera that doesn't have a preview screen…for the bargain price of $20,000. The opinions about it were (of course) all over the map, but the part that interested me most was the idea that back when we used film, we had to focus on the next photo we were going to take instead of looking back at the one we had just taken.

Smart. I hadn't really thought of it that way.

Partly thanks to the blog post, but mostly thanks to Tara's amazing film photography, I got out my film camera* and started snapping (admittedly glancing down to see what I had just shot out of a habit a few times). I got my photos developed Wednesday and was excited to see that some had turned out even better than I'd hoped** (of course, some were terrible too).

I'm considering shooting one full roll of film over the month of October. A photo or so a day. It's sort of the opposite of the "wait for it" concept or the "crop it" concept or the "timercam" concept and it might be fun to switch things up like that.

And don't worry guys, I haven't forgotten about my business story. I am currently writing part nine and editing part eight. I have already realized I have left so much out (this business has been a lot of years in the making) so that's going to be pretty intense to rework. I plan to share a small business story post every other weekday throughout the month of October.

Thank you so much for following along and your comments have been TOPS this week. Happy Friday! Ellerie and I are off to the zoo (again!)!

*I've had a Canon EOS Rebel XS since high school that I still use whenever I shoot film. I shoot with this 50mm lens.

**Ellerie's wooden camera is from Summer & Matt Made.

Posted in , ,

27 responses to “on film.”

  1. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    Girl, you’re on FIRE! 🙂 I wait (im)patiently every morning for 9 am to roll around and a new post from you to hit the interwebs. It’s so inspiring to me how you follow through, follow your gut, follow your dreams. I love it!!

    Like

    Reply
  2. michelle t Avatar
    michelle t

    I’m a late comer to digital, and I’m still fumbling with my camera, and forget phone photography right now. There’s a lot to be said for film. Ill be very interested to read more of your film experiences this month, and looking forward to reading more of the business story, too. Thanks for sharing. Michelle t

    Like

    Reply
  3. Carly Friesen Avatar
    Carly Friesen

    I bought a $10 crappy little used film camera last year to try it out again. It is so fun and exciting to get each roll developed. I hope to upgrade to a SLR eventually, but I also really enjoy the ease of my film version of the point and shoot. (ps. Love the pic of Paul and Ellerie together!)

    Like

    Reply
  4. Debra Carr Avatar
    Debra Carr

    Ellerie’s camera is super cool. I do miss the days when you got excited to look through the pouch of 4×6 photographs, maybe my old SLRs need to have a trip out from the attic.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Debra Carr Avatar
    Debra Carr

    …not that I would ever want to go back to the days when there was no digital cameras 😉

    Like

    Reply
  6. Carol Avatar
    Carol

    Ellerie is so cute!
    This makes me want to try out some film photography (which I haven’t done since I was young!)
    I can’t wait for my own children to take millions of cute photos!

    Like

    Reply
  7. Welcome Home Taylor Avatar
    Welcome Home Taylor

    Seriously, these photos are gorgeous! I really adore them.
    xoxo
    Taylor

    Like

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Oh, hey! My last post was about film photography too.
    Long live film, and the delicious anticipation which comes with having to wait for it to be developed. And here’s to being more thoughtful about each shot!
    http://scarletwords.com/2014/10/02/77-take-101-photos-with-black-white-film/

    Like

    Reply
  9. Amy Jenkins Avatar
    Amy Jenkins

    Somewhere I think there’s a balance between chinching and not looking at all. I try to look initially- evaluating all those things I want pretty quickly like exposure and white balance. I hate post editing and take the effort to get it right in camera instead of relying on photoshop/lightroom. Then, I tend to look less after the shot was taken when I know I’m getting it. Sure, I could fix most of it in Photoshop but it’s not worth it- and now my new camera will let me go straight from camera to iphone- I can post pics completely #sooc if I want and that’s an added incentive for getting it right in camera. So, I look a bit, but I really don’t spend a lot of time looking at them for the most part- just a quick evaluation of whether what I’m seeing in real life matches what’s on the screen.
    Of course, we all had those film days when nothing came out- one wrong setting can really mess things up. I recently had a shot that came out way overexposed (and rather beautiful) because I’m not as familiar with the buttons on my new camera yet and had it in the wrong mode. One shot was beautiful and great, but a whole roll would have been another story. So, when you can balance the two- looking vs not looking- you can get the best of both worlds

    Like

    Reply
  10. Kelsey, Especially Avatar
    Kelsey, Especially

    These photos are GREAT. And that wooden camera? LOVE!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Karen d. Avatar
    Karen d.

    My daughter (22) has been using our Nikon film camera my husband and I bought when we got married 32 years ago. Still takes incredible pictures. With her artistic eye, her “duds” have been few and far between. Glad to see the camera get some loving use.

    Like

    Reply
  12. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    Film photography is so fun. I took a photography course when I was a freshman in college (2000) and we developed our own film.

    Like

    Reply
  13. Meg Avatar
    Meg

    I recently saw this Kickstarter campaign that basically is an app for your phone that acts like a disposable camera… as in, you don’t get to see how the photos turned out until you order the prints and they arrive by mail. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s going to meet its funding goal, but still a cool concept! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/authenpic/authenpic-because-imperfect-is-fun?ref=discovery

    Like

    Reply
  14. Keegan Avatar
    Keegan

    Film photos are such fun little secrets. These turned out so fabulous! It almost makes me curious as to how much it would cost to get an old film Rebel to play around with. Enjoying your words pictures and thoughts so much lately. Cheers to happy!

    Like

    Reply
  15. Kendra Avatar
    Kendra

    You all have THE BEST ZOO!!! Go often!!

    Like

    Reply
  16. Samantha Lee Avatar
    Samantha Lee

    I got so bored with using my digital that this past year I’ve almost exclusively shot with film (using my mom’s old Canon Rebel); I too was inspired by Tara Whitney’s photos. At first I used it kind of as a back-up because I was afraid of not getting the shots I wanted (I’m shooting on manual), but then I switched over to using it entirely (even on vacations). I am absolutely in LOVE with shooting film, and the only reason I’ve slowed down a little bit is because it can be pricey. There is something just so magical about setting up your shot, hearing the loud click of the film camera, and having to wait to see how your photo will turn out. It’s much more rewarding when you finally do see the photos. Most of mine turn out, but even if they aren’t perfect, I think that is part of the charm of film photography; plus, I have a no editing policy, so even if I get them developed onto a CD, I will not edit them (so much freedom!) I’m making sure to really capture the moments I want rather than mindlessly snapping thousands of photos that will just sit on my hard drive. It also helps me enjoy the moment more instead of being glued to the camera taking photo after photo. Sorry for the novel, but I can’t express my love for it enough! Your photos above are beautiful, by the way. Here is one of my favorite rolls of film I’ve developed : http://wonderlandsam.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/my-love-affair-with-film-3/

    Like

    Reply
  17. Brittany Avatar
    Brittany

    As a photographer (who shoots film) I definitely appreciate this post. I actually find my film photographs mean much more to me than my digital ones. By the time I see the photographs, the moments are already in the past. I may have already forgotten them. They always seem so much more special.

    Like

    Reply
  18. Rachelle Avatar
    Rachelle

    I kicked off my photography career taking photos for my then-boyfriend’s album on that exact camera, which he bought for me on eBay. Little did I know that 5 years later we would be happily married and I would own a successful wedding and portrait photography business! Those first film photos I took of him are still some of my favorites (http://www.rachellerawlingsphotography.com/2012/06/28/portrait-session-stephen-rawlings-music-part-1/ and http://www.rachellerawlingsphotography.com/2012/06/29/portrait-session-stephen-rawlings-music-part-2/) Have you shot black and white film? Even more different than digital!

    Like

    Reply
  19. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

    Like

    Reply
  20. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    Love those. Do you use traditional black and white or the color processed bw?

    Like

    Reply
  21. Rachelle Avatar
    Rachelle

    I’ve only used the color processed black and white film and was happy with the results. I’m definitely interested in trying out true black and white though! The film resurgence has made it a little easier to find labs to process it for you now.

    Like

    Reply
  22. Sarah Milligan Avatar
    Sarah Milligan

    I love this. I used to be wayyyy better at managing my visual memories back when it was 1. take 2. develop 3. stuff in an album. The wonderful surprise of a great photo… the limits imposed on the amount of photos I took. Definitely inspiring me to get a film camera again! Have fun at the zoo. And PS I love that blurry shot of Ellerie and Paul. 🙂

    Like

    Reply
  23. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    I will be so glad if film and developing sticks around.
    I am in my 40s. I didn’t get my first digital camera until I was in my 30s. And I never had one of those cameras where you manually focus. I went thru college with a 110 film camera. I documented everything I could, and I paid for film and developing, and I love that I have albums of organized prints all in order by year.
    Now that there is Facebook I have loved scanning those older photos and sharing them with high school and college friends.

    Like

    Reply
  24. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    I will say… The photo doesn’t have to be “good” to be a keeper. I have some shots that are so sooooo terrible but the story behind them and about them is so fantastic. The cultural attitude towards images and photos has changed so much bc now people carry a camera with them and randomly take photos all the time and easily delete or retake, and also never print them out.
    Our visual literacy has changed so much in the society, just bc we all look at images through technology. Through a phone, a tablet, a website, a computer. Instead if holding them I. Our hands, printed out. We literally see things differently when we only view things via technology.

    Like

    Reply
  25. abby - little city adventures Avatar
    abby – little city adventures

    Gorgeous! I took a film photography class in high school and loved it, but we also had to do the developing and I was not so great at that

    Like

    Reply
  26. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    It’s amazing to me how you can just tell when something’s been taken with film. No matter the skill of the Photoshopper, you can usually spot the film from the filter.
    Love these!

    Like

    Reply
  27. Cate Avatar
    Cate

    I love this post, it makes me happy to see people showing film photography love! If you’re getting in to film you should check out the 10 golden rules of lomography (and the lomography site in general) even when I’m using my phone or digital camera I try to stick to a few of them, number 4 is my favourite… shoot from the hip, sometimes literally, but more generally… don’t look and just shoot, but from a different perspective… I love the crazy and beautiful pictures I sometimes get! x
    http://www.lomography.com/about/the-ten-golden-rules

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment